Jon and Roy

The Road Ahead is Golden arrives at the perfect juncture for Jon Middleton and Roy Vizer. The long-time bandmates, who began releasing music under the Jon and Roy banner when they were university students, have hit their stride as artists. And with that comes the decision to eschew what once was for what could be on their seventh album. The pair from Victoria, BC turned to the studio shortly after the first series of rehearsals got underway, pushing aside a long-term plan that would have put them in the studio many months down the road. The songs that make up The Road Ahead is Golden — a record with subtle tones but a purposeful message — took shape with relative ease, and once Jon and Roy got in the studio with bassist Louis Sadava early sessions appeared to bring out the very best in the group. The trademarks of previous Jon and Roy releases — sly runs on Middleton’s acoustic guitar, Vizer’s guardrail groove — are in abundance on The Road Ahead is Golden, but changes are evident. Vizer, a trained percussionist, put congas back on the equipment list and Middleton is joined by other voices — a rarity — on several songs, including members of Current Swell on ‘Better Life.’ There’s a simplicity to the music of Jon and Roy that makes what they do sound effortless. But nothing could be further from the truth.